Beware of magazine scam

Once the men at Randi Stevens' front door last July started talking, she just couldn't say no.

The two young men were so friendly, Stevens said, and their pitch so compelling. One who said he was fresh out of the military waxed sentiment about their organization's mission to help veterans.

All she had to do to help was buy some magazines.

"At the time, I was working as a psychologist for the military helping veterans, so it was like the perfect pitch for me," the Post Falls woman said.

But after she handed over a check for more than $150 and the men moved on, the promised product never arrived.

Every month she called the public service company contracted by the organization that had sold her the magazines.

"I'm a pretty trusting person, so I was just kind of like, 'They'll get back to me,'" Stevens said.

It was only last week, when she spoke yet again with a public service representative, that it hit her.

"(The representative) said 'There isn't anything that this company can do for you,' and I said, 'I understand that, but obviously I'm getting scammed,"' she remembered. "She said, 'Well, there are thousands of individuals in your situation calling us on a daily basis, and we're just as frustrated as you are, because there's nothing we can do.'"

It's a common tale.

Scammers posing as door-to-door magazine salesmen are a prevalent problem in the spring and summer, according to Zan Deery, spokeswoman for the regional Better Business Bureau office in Spokane.

"I'd honestly say we get at least a call a day about some kind of activities," Deery said. "I always have to put the disclaimer that not all groups that go door to door are crooks, but we're so hyper vigilant about these door-to-door groups."

She explained that groups claiming to sell magazine subscriptions for companies or nonprofits will typically use emotional, aggressive pitches, or offer a deal that seems too good to be true, she said.

"Their pitches can be anything, like they're trying to get their lives back on track, or raising money to help another charity," she said.

In some cases she has seen, she said, the salespeople wash the checks they receive to remove the ink and write in new amounts, or sometimes they add zeroes.

In other cases like Stevens', they simply cash the check the same day and never provide a product.

The key is to confirm the group is legitimate, Deery said.

She advised taking the sales people's information and researching their organizations online first at the Better Business Bureau Web site, bbb.org.

"Research and do your homework before you say yes to these magazine bundles," she said.

Stevens admitted it wasn't until last week that she Googled the magazine company, D2D LLC, which also operates under Rivista, Inc. She was shocked by what she found - story after story just like hers.

"Some people complaining were in Utah, even," she said. "These people were all over."

The Kootenai County Sheriff's Department didn't have any reports of magazine scams.

The Post Falls Police Department also hasn't seen instances of individuals not receiving magazines they ordered, said Lt. Greg McLean.

"One of these things these companies are required to do is get a permit from the city (Post Falls), so the city has time to finalize if it's legitimate," McLean said. "My guess is these guys are doing it under the cities' radar."

The city of Coeur d'Alene requires door-to-door sales people to provide the police department with names and contact information of those who will be making rounds, as well as the time and areas they will be selling.

McLean advised residents to be cautious and call down to their cities to verify if a company is legitimate.

"We'd like to know it, if scams do happen," he said.

Deery added that individuals should contact the BBB immediately if a company doesn't hand over a product that has been paid for.

"No one should call a company month after month and expect to get it resolved," she said. "If you do not get the ability to speak with or deal with some kind of customer service after a couple attempts, we strongly urge you to utilize an outside source in order to help in gaining a resolve."

She also advised against paying door-to-door salespeople with cash, which can't be traced.

"Credit card payment obviously is the most secure. Anything $50 or over is going to be taken care of," she said.

She encouraged individuals to call the police if a door-to-door salesperson seems suspicious, or won't take no for an answer.

She also advised just shopping locally.